Redemption
by Lunar Orphan
Summary: Vampires? They were evil! Naruto knew that... So why was this redhead making him doubt it?  "Naruto... He's coming..."
1. Meeting

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. **

**Warning: rating may go up, yaoi, boyxboy **

**Pairing: NarutoxGaara**

**Please enjoy!**

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><p><em>It has been three years since that fateful day… Three long years. At first, I'd refused to believe it. I'd thought everybody had to be wrong, they just had to be. I mean, hell, he was the strongest. The best. In my mind, I thought it was completely insane to think that it was true. He was fast, cunning, and bloody brilliant when it came to hand to hand. He'd completely mastered the Art of Fire as well. He had a rare trait, he had been poisoned, well, not him directly, but a member of his family.<em>

_ This member had been infected and, though human, he carried a trait of them. A rare ability, even among the Firsts. As it turned out, he could even harbor this skill, causing it to grow and become… More. Of course, a human with the trait of a First was a dangerous thing, to be sure. An assassin was sent to annihilate them all. Only a few made it out alive. _

_He was one of them, my best friend and greatest rival. His name is… was, well whatever, Sasuke Uchiha, and the First trait he carried, was an ocular ability dubbed the Sharingan. It was a formidable technique that allowed him to defeat many strong opponents._

_ But he wasn't strong enough. Don't get me wrong, he was stronger than me, no question. But the First that took him out was stronger. It happens in the life of a Hunter, you just had to expect to die young. However, he was only thirteen. Even for us, that was young. His body was found in tattered pieces, so much so that they almost couldn't identify him. Almost._

_ They used his dental records to prove that it was him… For the longest time after that, I couldn't function right. I ran away. I'd convinced a man by the name of Jiraiya to let me tag along with him on his travels. He was one of the Sanin, a legendary Elder Hunter. Somewhere on our travels, I'd gotten the old man to train me. _

_I wasn't a huge fan of his methods, but they still got the job done. I mostly trained myself, with a few pointers from him. I felt like he wasn't doing anything, but now, in the aftermath of training, I see how much he really did._

_ I'm much stronger than I was… I wonder if my power could rival Sasuke's. I'm not sure. All I remember is constantly getting beat by him. It's hard to say really. I mean, If he was still alive, he would've trained these last few years too… Who knows how powerful he would be. _

"Naruto!" The shrill voice of the blonde's childhood friend ripped him from his thoughts. He chuckled awkwardly and looked at her.

"A-ah! Sorry Sakura." He answered nervously, bowing his head slightly. It was a customary greeting in his culture. She bowed back and smiled.

"It's good to see you haven't changed that much!" She patted him on the back. He stood up from his seat and grinned broadly.

"I've grown!" He was proud of his height, he used to be such a pipsqueak! Now he towered over the pinkette.

"That's the only difference!" She giggled. Sakura knew very well that wasn't it though. Naruto had changed. His eyes were more mature, deeper. She'd never been very good at reading people, but age had changed her too. She was a bit more keen. She could see the isolation within those shining blue orbs. Something she'd completely missed as a child. However, it was too late to dwell on such matters. Naruto had worked it out himself, and they weren't as close anymore anyway. She didn't feel that it was acceptable to pry so intimately into his life.

"Anyway, do you need something, Sakura?"

"Huh? Oh right! Lady Tsunade would like to see you. She has a preliminary mission for you. You know, kind of like a test drive? To make sure Jiraiya and you weren't just goofing off."

"Me? Slack off?" He laughed. "Never!" He started walking towards the Shadow Hunter's office. The Shadow Hunter was the leader of this village's Hunters. She was, allegedly, the strongest in the village. Naruto thought that his original trainer, a man by the name of Kakashi Hatake, was the strongest. But Tsunade was extremely powerful, so he kept his mouth shut.

Plus, he hadn't been in to see her yet, and was looking forward to it. Naruto had no parents, and Tsunade was sort of like a mother to him, while Jiraiya imitated a father.

It made it even more interesting because the two actually had some romantic chemistry. Naruto stayed out of it though, knowing full well he shouldn't meddle with their lives from past experiences. The blonde grinned and threw the double door open.

"Granny! I'm back!" He shouted at a volume everybody was certain only Naruto would dare to use, not only indoors, but in the Shadow's office. He looked at Tsunade in all her glory.

The woman had long blonde hair, pulled back into two low pigtails, and a huge bust. Naruto never really noticed though. He did, however, notice how beautiful the woman was. She wore a deep purple lipstick and light mascara. The woman also had a small blue diamond tattooed on her forehead. It was a seal that was unique to Tsunade. It was used to restrict most of her powers. She wasn't that great at storing energy, so the diamond was there to help her out.

"Naruto." She growled, face contorted with a scowl.

"Hahha! Right, right. My apologies." He scratched the back of his head. "Sakura said you have a mission for me?"

"Yes. The sun's about to set, so I'd like you to prepare immediately." She said, going through the numerous papers on her desk, looking for something specific. She grinned, finding the paper. "There's this new hotspot. A back alley behind a popular club… Mystique Pink." She grumbled. Naruto thought it was kind of cool. Mystique was a cool word, and it rhymed with pink. "Just go down there and stand guard for a bit. I'll send Konohamaru down there later to relieve you." Naruto grinned.

"Kono! I haven't seen him! I wonder how big he is!" Konohamaru was a childhood friend of Naruto's. The little squirt always looked up to the blonde. It was nice to be admired.

"I'm sure he'll be equally as excited. Go now." She said dismissively.

"See you later, granny." He smiled and waved before exiting the room. He hadn't been in a real battle in a while.

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><p>Naruto huffed. He'd been sitting in the alleyway for so long. Nothing was happening. He checked his watch, again, wondering exactly when Kono was suppose to arrive.<p>

"Damn it…" He grumbled.

CRASH!

The blonde's head shot up. Finally, some action. He jumped to his feet and ran around the corner. There.

"I, Naruto Uzumaki, by the order of the Hunters, demand that you, a First, halt!" He yelled. A pale man with black hair paused only for a moment. Long enough to flip Naruto off, before resuming his activities.

A young male, by the looks of it fifteen, was being pinned to the wall. The black haired man opened his mouth and leaned down, placing his teeth on the pale neck of the boy.

"You were warned!" Naruto yelled, jumping forward onto his hands, bringing his left foot down on the man's shoulder. The man faltered, but did not fall. The small boy under him took this opportunity to knee the man in the crotch. The First hissed in pain and grabbed his bruising genitals.

Naruto quickly got to his feet, steak at the ready. The First looked up at the boy, a look of betrayal in his eyes before the steak dug into his heart. Luckily for the teen, Naruto had not caught the look.

"Are you okay?" Naruto smiled at the boy. He had deep maroon hair and bright sea foam green eyes. He looked apathetically at Naruto and nodded.

"That was a good move you pulled! Thanks. Helped me out a lot." He chuckled. "You know…" Naruto commented, eyes hardening. "You seem awfully unruffled for somebody who was just attacked." The child nodded nonchalantly.

"I annihilate vampires." He said coldly. His voice was dark and icy. It made Naruto shiver, despite the usual warmth of that night.

"Are you a new Hunter? I don't remember ever seeing you." He chuckled. All suspicion dropped for the time being. He had been gone for three years after all.

"No." He answered, beginning to walk away. Naruto lifted a brow and grabbed his arm.

"Are you with an outside organization?"

"No." The boy yanked his arm free, but Naruto quickly went to step in front of him. He gently put his hand on the boys chest, to make it clear Naruto wanted him to stay.

"I'm sorry, sir. But I must take you in for further questioning." He said in an authoritive voice. The redhead knocked his hand away carelessly.

"No. You won't. I don't like the vampires and I hate Hunters. I was rejected from the academy and I don't care much for it's restrictions. Goodnight." He said monotonously.

"Well then, at least let me walk you home." He offered. The redhead simply walked around the blonde and headed off in the same direction he'd been trying to go. That wasn't a no. Naruto turned and started walking with him.

"What were you doing back here anyway?" The blonde asked nosily. He was still going to question the redhead.

"Hn." Was the response. Naruto frowned. That wasn't an answer.

"Why were you rejected from the academy?"

Silence.

"What's wrong with Hunters?" Still nothing. The blonde frowned. Questions clearly weren't going to work. Perhaps he could educate the boy. "Hunters are here to protect the world. Taking out as many Firsts as we can. We train our mind and souls to advance to being Seconds instead of Thirds like normal humans." He explained.

"It futile…" The boy murmured. Naruto quirked a brow.

"What is?"

"You can't beat them. The Firsts." His eyes looked distant, almost honest.

"That's not our goal." This earned Naruto a side glance from the apathetic teen. "Our goal is not to destroy evil, or rather, the Firsts, but to maintain them."

The redhead looked away.

After about ten more minutes of walking and Naruto prattling on about the Hunters and what they stand for, the duo finally reached the boy's apartment.

"Hurry." Naruto smiled. "I'm sure your parents are worried." The blonde waited. "What is it?"

"I'm afraid." The redhead lied. "I can't protect myself like you Hunters can." Lying was what he did best, next to fighting that is. Naruto looked contemplative.

"What's your name?"

"Gaara Sabuku." That was true.

"Well, I'll tell you what Gaara. I'll meet you here tomorrow night and teach you a few things. For self defense." The blonde offered. Gaara grinned inwardly. That was almost too easy. This one was clearly an idiot and it seemed pointless to go through al this trouble for him. But, he had his orders.

"Thank you." He said, before turning to go into his apartment.

The redhead stood on his balcony, looking in the direction the blonde had left. He rested his head on his hand and let the wind play with his fiery red locks. They only looked maroon in the dark of the night.

He waved his free hand around, mystical sand following the fluid movements. With a click of his tongue he sighed, dropping the sand. When was his leader going to return? He wanted to kill. He didn't feel very alive at the moment.

The reason he wasn't able to kill that night was because of his orders. His leader better be bringing him back some fresh food. That Naruto kid was annoying. The sound of his voice was grating on Gaara's ears. Still… the blonde fell for his trap, which was all he needed.

"_Cold and raw the north wind doth blow_

_Bleak in the morning early, _

_All the hills are covered with snow, _

_And winter's now come fairly." _He hummed.

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><p>I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!<p>

Review! -Lunar


	2. Training

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden.**

**Warning: rating may go up, yaoi, boyxboy**

**Pairing: NarutoxGaara**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The next night Gaara sat patiently on the curb outside of his apartment building, waiting for Naruto. When his leader had returned, Gaara pointed out the naivety of the blonde, but he insisted. So, the redhead could do nothing but continue to play the helpless vampire hater. It annoyed him to no end, but there was no way he could ever disobey his orders.<p>

His master was there for him, his master was his only friend, his only… Anything, really. He was the reason Gaara was alive. The redhead tentatively reached a hand up and pressed his cool fingers against the make-up covered scar engraved on his forehead. It was his mark. His contract, so to speak. It was what bonded him to himself. The rouge skin continually reminding him his place and who he was. A murderer.

"Hey! Gaara!" A familiarly grating voice called. The redhead groaned and stood up. He was always careful not to make his 'character' too different from himself, or else he might have difficulty acting. So, indifference was the best route.

He lifted his hand in the air as a casual form of greeting. Naruto, who was now really close, grinned goofily.

"How're you tonight?" He asked cheerfully. Gaara swallowed and remembered his mission.

"Cold." He lied again, relatively proud of himself for lightening his tone. His mission was to get the blonde to trust him and tell Gaara all of the Hunter's secrets. It would be tough, but he could do it. He'd yet to receive a mission he couldn't complete both quickly and effectively. Gaara had no idea why the blonde was the one his master specified. Perhaps there was something special about him.

"Really? It's warm again tonight. Well," he shrugged off his orange jacket, "here." He offered the offending thing to Gaara and he stared at it for a moment. He didn't quite expect that, but had to play along. He grabbed the jacket and slid it on his petite body. The sleeves reached all the way down to his second knuckle and the shoulders were falling off.

Naruto's heartfelt laugh filled the air and Gaara frowned. He didn't like being made fun of.

"You're small for your age, huh?" The blonde continued to chuckle but stepped in closer to Gaara. The redhead tensed, almost punching Naruto as an automatic reaction, but stood stock still, biting his lip. He wanted to kill so badly…

Naruto's tan hands grabbed the bottom of the jacket and zipped it up, to keep the thing from falling off of the redheads small form.

"There ya go." He smiled, patting Gaara on the head. The redhead glared, completely ignoring how sweet the Hunter was being to him. For that exact reason. Naruto was a Hunter. "So then, tonight will be lesson one!" Naruto grinned broadly. His mouth was so large and it reminded Gaara of a monkey.

"Lesson one?"

"Well, you can't very well protect yourself properly with only one night of training." Gaara grinned inwardly, not letting his expression change. Perfect. That was exactly what he wanted. He was planning on just saying, even after tonight, how he was still afraid and didn't think he'd learned enough, but Naruto did that for him. Wonderful.

"So then, are you ready to go?" The blonde asked. Gaara nodded. "Great! Follow me!" He chuckled, for no particular reason other than being happy to help somebody.

They walked, mostly in silence, until about ten minutes into the walk, Gaara spoke up.

"Where are we going?" He asked, looking around. He didn't really recognize this part of the town.

"Hm? Oh! To my old training feild. It's where my first real lesson in hunting was given." Naruto explained. Gaara nodded, time to get to work.

"Is it the the same place all beginning Hunters first learn?"

"Nah. It is often used, I'll give you that. But each Advanced Hunter takes the rookies to whatever ground they want. Be it by the Kohaku River or a grassy field, like where we're going. It doesn't much matter. Mostly depends on personal taste and abilities."

"Abilities?" Gaara pressed.

"Yes. All Hunters, or all good Hunters, I should say, are known as Seconds. I'm sure you've heard the term before. Supernatural beings are known as Firsts, Hunters with powers, like myself, are known as Seconds. Then regular humans, like you, are Thirds."

"How demeaning." Gaara suppressed another grin. "What kind of powers do you have?"

"I agree, but I'm not sure where the labels originated. I'll show you some of my abilities in training. If not tonight than tomorrow. Tonight, I'm mostly going to teach you the basics of hand to hand." Gaara's eyes hardened. That was probably most of the useful information he would get tonight.

"Ah! We're here!" Naruto grinned and led Gaara down a large, grassy hill until the duo stood in front of three large pillars. Gaara lifted a nonexistent eyebrow, wondering if they were used for torture. If they weren't, they sure as Hell could be. The blonde removed his backpack and started pulling things out.

Among them, two targets and several traditional Hunter blades, known as kunai. He used two kunai to make the targets stay on two different logs.

"There we are! Now then." He grabbed Gaara's arm and walked a few yards away from the targets. "We'll start kind of close, since this is probably your first time."

"Not exactly. I went to the academy for a short period of time, remember?" Gaara mentioned.

"Oh right, right." He laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, either way. I'll throw a few at the target on the left and you'll have the one on the right." He explained, handing the redhead three kunai.

"Watch me." He instructed. Throwing all three at once, hitting his designated target in a perfectly straight line. The kunai in between hitting the bull's-eye directly.

Gaara rolled his eyes at the pathetic attempt to show off. The redhead sighed and reluctantly threw the first of his blades, missing on purpose. The blade veered off course and hit the large tree stump behind it.

"Hm." He said, pretending to be displeased. Naruto watched closely as he threw the second, this time hitting the target, but no where near the centre.

"Hold on a moment." Naruto said, bending down to move Gaara's legs. Widening his stance. He then stood and got directly behind the teenager. He posed the same way, slightly bent at the knees to lower himself to Gaara's height. Naruto gently rest his arm on Gaara's, one tan hand covering a strikingly pale one. Naruto hadn't really noticed how pale the boy was until he put his hand on Gaara's. The redhead was right, he was cold.

Gaara tensed against Naruto.

"Don't worry. Relax. If you tense up, your movements will be too sharp. Don't throw, but move with me." He hooked his foot under Gaara's and pressed up against him. "Relax." He whispered, pushing the boy's body so it followed his own movements.

The redhead swallowed thickly and wondered, idly, if Naruto had heard it. Relax. He needed to relax. He forced his muscles to calm down. Nobody ever got this close to him, let alone touch him. Nobody. Not even his master.

Eventually, though, he relaxed and almost melted into Naruto, until they were moving in perfect sync. Bodies flowing together like an elegant wave being pushed and pulled by the sway of the moon. Gaara leaned against Naruto gently and the blonde closed his eyes, completely forgetting that he was suppose to be training.

He lifted his arm and Gaara's did the same. They pulled back and leaned forward, as if throwing a kunai. The redhead's freezing body against the blonde's hot one caused a certain pleasant warmth and neither could quite focus on anything. They repeated the motion, over and over and over again. Simply enjoying the closeness before Gaara's eyes widened in realization and he tensed again, snapping off the connection they'd just made.

"I-I think I got it." He said in a whisper, though he wasn't too sure why he was talking so quietly. Naruto backed up a significant amount and walked around to Gaara's left.

"Okay." he coughed uncomfortably. "Good. Right then. Let's… uh…. Let's see if you learned." He said awkwardly. Gaara nodded, eager to leave, he threw the kunai perfectly, hitting the target dead on.

Naruto smiled, forgetting the tension and clapped loudly.

"That was awesome! I might have to look out, you learn fast." He chuckled. Gaara nodded. "Well," Naruto began, looking down at his watch, "I have patrol duty soon. I'll walk you home before I go report in." The blonde smiled, walking over to clean up the supplies. He was a little off put, since they didn't really get to train all that much, because they lost a good chunk of time doing… Whatever it was they just did. Naruto wasn't really too sure what to call it.

After everything was back in his bag he smiled at Gaara. The redhead just looked lazily at him, waiting. He chuckled and they soon began the ten, twelve, minute walk back home. Gaara still felt uncomfortable and refused to look at Naruto.

Just what the hell was that? Was it Naruto's ability? That had to have been it. There was no way anybody could get that close to him, and stay there for so long without him killing them or at least hurting. Yet, the blonde had. It was just so warm next to the blonde. He was like a sun. Perhaps that's what the power was. He released a warm aura that momentarily makes the opponent loose focus so he can attack them.

That had to be it. It was also an equal possibility, considering the blonde's idiocy, that he couldn't quite control it and it accidentally infected him too. That would explain everything.

"Gaara…? Gaara? Gaara! Are you okay?" Naruto grabbed the teens shoulders and shook him gently. The redhead immediately knocked the hands away and kneed Naruto in the crotch.

"I'm sorry! It was an automatic reaction." He lied. He was mostly just sore about letting Naruto that blonde fell to his knees and grabbed the most sensitive part of his body, feeling his eyes water.

"Don't worry about it." His voice sounded a bit higher than usual. "I didn't want kids anyway." He mumbled. Gaara let his lips upturn slightly before dropping the look and kneeling to help Naruto.

"Are you alright?" He asked apathetically. Naruto grimaced, but nodded nonetheless, taking Gaara's offered hand and standing.

"I'm good." He mumbled.

"Why were you shaking me?"

"Because we're here." He said, gesturing to the apartment building. Gaara frowned. How could he have been so oblivious? Was it that damn aura? With a scowl he nodded. Naruto, being the perceptive genius he is, smiled.

"Don't worry. I'll be back tomorrow." He assured. "Hey, I never have to work during the day, what do you say we meet then?" Gaara swiftly shook his head. "Why not?"

"I sleep during the day because…" he bit his lip, trying the think of an excuse. "Because I stay up all night in case vampires attack!" He furrowed his brow, hoping that lam excuse would work.

"Oh! Well, I suppose that makes sense." Naruto nodded. Gaara felt relief wash over him. Nearly caught there. "I'll see you tomorrow!" The blonde grinned, wrapping Gaara up in an awkward one-armed hug, before walking away from the seething redhead.

He didn't want that thing to touch him again. With a huff he turned and stormed into his apartment, his master already sitting there waiting, having let himself in.

"Gaara." He said, voice gravelly.

"Master." He greeted back.

"I suppose all went well?" Gaara nodded, not wanting to tell him how warm and nice the blonde felt against him. Damn brainwashing aura. He'd have to ask Naruto to be a little more careful, since he couldn't outright kill him for it. "Good then. Good. You may document your findings in the folder I left in the kitchen. Disclose all and any information." He said curtly before standing.

"Leaving?" Gaara asked dispassionately.

"Of course. I've got better things to do." He mumbled darkly, slamming the door behind him. Gaara didn't even flinch at the sound, having been long since used to the action.

The redhead plopped down ungracefully on his couch, looking around the dark apartment. He'd never noticed how empty it was. He frowned, suddenly feeling very alone.

He sighed and closed his teal eyes, feeling heavy. He didn't get to kill last night as his master only fed the redhead scraps. He wanted to kill, he really did.

He'd been left alone in the empty, dark apartment again. His master had zero regard for Gaara or his well being. It had never really bothered the redhead before but now something seemed off. He hugged himself, feeling a soft fabric beneath his fingertips.

Naruto's jacket!

He never gave it back. The redhead curled in on himself, clutching at the material. Why was he suppose to trick Naruto? The filthy Hunter surely had it coming, like his master said…. Right?

Gaara's purpose in life was to obey his master and to kill. That was it. That was the bottom line. Then… What was this feeling? What was this doubt?

_"Riddle me, riddle me, ree." _He sang gently_. _

_"A little man in a tree;_

_A stick in his hand_

_A stone in his throat, _

_If you tell me this riddle _

_I'll give you a groat."_

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><p>I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If anybody except <strong>HeartsNaruto<strong> is reading this. XD

Review! -Lunar


	3. Arguing

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters!**

**Please Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Gaara sat in the same place as he had for the past few weeks, waiting for his blonde mentor. He felt almost… Anxious? Maybe that was it…. Perhaps he felt it because he thought maybe the blonde knew the truth? No…. No that wasn't it. There was no way the blonde could tell.<p>

Through all of their training, he'd been completely oblivious and Gaara simply recorded information. He found out quite a bit. But tonight, his master gave him a direct order. Something specific that he wanted to know. What are the Hunter's morals? He supposed that it was because if he knew the morals, it would be easier to torment them. Torment. Torture. His master's favourite thing was torturing the filthy Hunters after he caught them.

Then an image popped into his head. His master tormenting Naruto. It made his stomach twist and turn is horrid ways. He clasped a pale hand over his mouth and frowned. He forced the bile to go back down, less he vomit all over the place just before Naruto arrived. He clenched Naruto's jacket beneath his fingers. He hadn't returned it yet and Naruto hadn't asked for it back. It was his now. His own jacket.

And, on a stroke of luck, his master didn't take if from him when he said it was Naruto's. He said it was a good thing. If he wore it, then that would be a token of their friendship and Naruto would feel more relaxed around the redhead. It made him feel a little dirty to abuse the gift like that, but it was an order.

"Gaara!" Naruto yelled, grinning from ear to ear. Gaara jumped up and waved back.

"Naruto." He said, much calmer than the blonde.

"How are you doing tonight?" He asked, hugging the redhead as a form of greeting. Gaara stood still, not hugging the blonde back. He never hugged him back, but in the same respect, he never pushed him away either.

"Hn." Gaara said, turning to walk towards the usual training grounds. The redhead side glanced at his mentor and raised a non existent brow. "Eyeliner?" He asked.

Naruto's face turned red and he bit his lip nervously. He fiddled with his fingers.

"Y-yeah… Do you uhm… Do you like it?" He said awkwardly. Gaara had grown used to things like this. He didn't know why the blonde did it, but he did. One time it was a phedora, another time it was a tie and a white button up shirt, and yesterday it was really tight pants. Gaara had said he liked all those things, wondering why the blonde was asking Gaara for fashion advice, but let it go. So tonight, he wore all of those things. Eyeliner was the newest addition.

Gaara stopped walking and turned to assess the blonde's look. Naruto fidgeted under the critical gaze, cheeks a dusty pink. Gaara began walking again.

"Yes." He answered. Naruto smiled and giggled a bit. Futilely.

"Good!" Gaara really had no clue as to why the blonde was so concerned about Gaara's opinion of his apparel. It wasn't like the redhead dressed spiffy or anything.

He wore a black tee, loose black suspender jeans with a chain connecting to his wallet, and black sneakers. With a sigh, he brushed away the thoughts.

"Though I prefer the way you looked for that first week." Gaara glared at the ground. Was that concern in his voice? Gaara looked to the left to mull it over. Why would he be concerned? Gaara scratched his head.

'_Hypothetically, it could be because Naruto seems to be dressing different to impress somebody. And I don't think he needs to change to impress some lame girl. Naruto is perfectly fine the way he is_.' Gaara halted. '_He's a Hunter._' He reminded himself. What was this feeling in his stomach? This twisting, aching feeling that rose in him all those weeks ago and has yet to leave? It was Naruto's fault, and he knew it.

Another thing he was sure of, it wasn't a good feeling.

"Gaara?" Naruto asked. The redhead's eyes snapped up and he began walking again. "I was thinking I guess."

"Ah." Naruto dared not venture further, as he knew he wouldn't get an explanation anyway.

" So, Naruto… Why do Hunters do what they do?" Gaara asked carefully, being sure not to sound too interested.

"Why do we…?" Naruto trailed off, expression thoughtful. "Well, why do you?"

"I have my reasons. But I'm not in a collective organization like you are. It's my understanding all Hunters operate virtually the same." He mumbled.

"I suppose. We all follow a code, if you must name it. Though I think morals would be more accurate." Naruto explained.

"Morals?" Gaara pressed.

"Yes. We all believe in justice and fair treatment." Naruto said, a hint of pride in his voice. Gaara scowled and glared at the ground in front of him.

"Fair treatment?" He spat. "You kill Firsts, just because they are supernatural. You kill them out of fear." He ground out.

"G-Gaara?" The blonde knew Gaara hated Hunters as well, was this the reason? Perhaps it was also the reason for his expulsion. "Well… Firsts are evil!" He defended. Didn't Gaara know that? Didn't he say he hated Firsts? No… No! He said he hated vampires.

The redhead spun on his heel and punched Naruto square on the jaw.

"What gives you the right to dub a person evil based on what they are?" He demanded. Gaara didn't want to be evil. He didn't want to be… He never wanted to be… But his master and… and Yashamaru… "Being a First is not something a person would choose!" Gaara _is _evil though. He's a bad man that does bad things… But that doesn't mean the others are. Valid, he doesn't care for them, even in the slightest… But his own experience makes him want to say something. He wasn't evil… not until that day. That fateful day nine years ago, when he was six…

"I-I… Gaara! They are evil! Bottom line! I've never met a good First!" He screamed back, rubbing his sore jaw, contemplating when a good time to strike back would be.

"Have you ever taken the time? You filthy Hunters see one and immediately yell about arresting them! You scare them into panicking!" Gaara shot back. Naruto decided now was good. He lunged and clocked Gaara, _hard._ The teen stumbled backwards before finally falling. Naruto glared. Gaara covered his cheek, not letting Naruto see the cracks he'd caused, trying to get them to sand over.

"Firsts are evil. There is no question to it!" The blonde confirmed before continuing. "Why would you even question that?" Gaara swept one leg under Naruto's feet and the Hunter went tumbling down.

"I question because I think for myself! You've been programmed to believe that garbage your whole life!" Gaara yelled. "You grow up with that being pumped into your brains! Force fed nothing but shit! Firsts are evil! You must kill them! Contain them! Just because they are higher than you! Just because they are stronger and you Hunters can't handle that!" He ranted. "It scares you to the bone and you can't deal with it!"

Naruto rubbed his arm and groaned, feeling the blood run down his flesh. Gaara's nose stood at attention and he felt his heart race. The blonde thought about what Gaara had said. Could that be true?

"You are fighting the better of the battle." Gaara amended. "But, you still don't have a right to judge before being positive!" He yelled. The redhead frowned. He'd been slowly leaning over to the Hunter's side of things ever since Naruto starting training him and feeding him bits of information.

"Gaara! Why are you so adamant about this?" Naruto asked, voice a little shaky from the fall. The redhead eyed the blood on Naruto's arm and watched it as it ran down his hand. He swallowed thickly and turned away from his mentor. He didn't know what to say next. He was never very good at conveying exactly how he felt… For example, getting into an argument with Naruto and, subsequently, a fistfight was not how he meant to do things. So, he did what he knew best.

"_One for sorrow_," he sang.

"_Two for Joy, _

_Three for a girl,_

_Four for a boy,_

_Five for Silver,_

_Six for gold,_

_Seven for a secret,_

_Never to be told_."

And with that he ran away, back to his house, where his master was awaiting the information he'd collected. But first, he was going to kill. Without having trained with Naruto, he had free time.

The blonde watched his pupil run away and he reached out, but said nothing. He just sat there, mouth gaping open. He didn't know what to do. What to say. Just where the hell did Gaara get those ideas? How could Firsts not be completely evil?

Naruto had always believed that-

"Wait…" Naruto mumbled to himself, confused. He had always believed. What made him believe such things? What made Firsts evil in the first place? Naruto closed his eyes, trying to think.

What classified as good? What made evil things evil? Who was to say a thing, or person, was evil, just because they had powers? Yet, it had been proven time and time again that it was in the Firsts nature to be evil.

Had the Thirds and Seconds pushed them to be that way though? Was it their own fault? Who first decided that they were evil? Was Gaara right? Could it simply all backtrack to nothing but flimsy fear?

"No. That's… That's not it. Firsts had to be evil. Humans weren't so malicious or cruel. And we still aren't. Nothing has changed." He assured himself, standing. "Nothing."

He still couldn't stop that small little sense of doubt in his heart. The same little bit that believed in Gaara. Naruto went home that night, eyes tired and heart heavy.

He'd futilely searched for Gaara until his duty at Mystique Pink. Nothing made much sense. He couldn't stop thinking. It was true, that he'd been made to think the way he did, but that didn't mean that the Hunters weren't right.

Naruto slumped down on his old, broken couch and picked idly at the stuffing. He didn't turn on any lights, as he saw no point. Gaara had really upset him. Aside from the soreness of the minute scuffle, his head hurt more than anything. His thoughts were going too fast to catch up with, and when he could pick out little bits and pieces, he realized he was only thinking in circles. He couldn't make sense of anything.

"Tell me, Sasuke…" He spoke the nothingness around him, as he often did when feeling lonely. "What did you think? Your people were killed by us… The Seconds…" He frowned, eyes moist. "What did you truly believe?" He chuckled humorlessly.

"Y'know. We were like brothers, best friends since we were little, in our own way, that is. Yet, I didn't really know you. I thought that I did, and I told myself so… But I didn't. I didn't know you. Not as much as I liked to claim. Hell, you could've been completely miserable and I would've never known." He felt tears roll down his cheeks, but ignored them.

"Were you? In your last moment, did you find any solace? You were alone, in pain… Did you have anything positive to think about? Were you still lost in grief, even then?" Naruto held himself tightly. "It was us. WE did it, yet we are supposedly the good guys. However, in the same respect, it was a First that murdered you and left this hole in me!" Naruto jumped up, pointing to his chest.

"Right here!" He shouted. "Nothing is there! Nothing! Firsts did that! They murdered you!" His eyes widened and his breath hitched. "Plural?" He questioned himself. "They said it was one. A single one… An evil one." His eyes hardened. "An evil First brought up in an evil environment." He said coldly, wiping at his tears.

"Firsts. Are. Evil." He said sternly.

Gaara stood in front of his apartment building, looking down, almost as if in shame. He'd dirtied it. With a heavy sigh, he returned to his own apartment and his master was there, awaiting the news, as expected.

Gaara felt… Strange. Killing was suppose to put him in a good mood, like it usually did. Killing reminded him that he existed, that he made a difference.

"Gaara." His master greeted, voice rumbling like thunder, but with less elegance. Less appeal.

"Hunters believe that they are enforcing equilibrium. Balancing everything. Creating equal living." He said, voice hollow. Not filled with the usual confidence and ice.

His master's laughter bellowed throughout the mostly empty apartment. Gaara understood why, however, the redhead found it much less amusing and more frustrating than anything. Could the Hunters really be so very stupid and ignorant?

"I've got business to attend to." The sandy haired man said after his laughter died down, standing and leaving the place, slamming the door behind him.

Gaara looked around his apartment. It seemed to become more and more empty by the day. Was this really the same place he'd lived in before he met Naruto?

"Hello?" He called fruitlessly into the cold place. Was this home? No. It wasn't. It had never really been home in the first place.

What constituted a home anyway? Gaara had never really bothered to entertain the thought, but somehow, he couldn't get away from it. What was Naruto's home like?

His sea foam green eyes narrowed and he ground his teeth together.

The things Naruto was saying… Or rather, the things that damn Hunter was saying. All of them were the same. Ignorant, lost in their own little conceited world. They didn't understand anything. Not a damn thing.

His master always told him that Hunters were like that. All the Firsts said that. With reason. Hunters were the bad ones. Some of the Firsts need to kill, less they die themselves. Gaara hated Hunters. Naruto had no right to hate Firsts.

The redhead looked over to the orange jacket strewn sloppily across the couch, small blood splatters on it's collar. He winced.

He dirtied it. Naruto's gift to him.

It was then that Gaara had a thought. It was something he'd never dared contemplate before. A thought that was completely taboo, but Naruto's personality did something to Gaara. Something strange. It made him feel… Warm. It made him feel right.

Gaara had long since found out that Naruto's ability was wind based and had nothing to do with an aura. He was planning on asking the blonde about it, but was relieved, for that would have made an awkward conversation. Instead, the blonde had already planned on showing Gaara his power, so there was no real questioning about it.

The redhead chalked that first night up to hunger, but he couldn't blame these feelings inside of him on hunger as well.

No, it was something else. It was doubt. Gaara had never really had anything to doubt in a long time, and the feeling had become completely foreign to him, but Naruto made him doubt.

Naruto made Gaara doubt his master. The redhead sat down on his couch and stared at the wall ahead of him blankly.

"Why do I hate Hunters?" He questioned aloud. "Why do I abide by Masters wishes?" He asked, wishing somebody, perhaps even a certain blonde, was there to answer him. For he couldn't figure it out himself. Just when exactly was it that he stopped thinking for himself?

"Naruto…" He whispered out, feeling so very cold. Guilt suddenly hit him and he whished he could find the blonde to apologize for his behaviour. He believed in what he did, no question. However, he didn't have to get physical or go about it the way he did.

He didn't understand why he felt so guilty. Hurting people was something that came easy. But something was different. Naruto was different.

The redhead closed his eyes.

"Master…" He said icily. Remembering the fateful day he met that malicious man.

"_Yaaaasssshaammarrruu!" A tiny redheaded boy whined, tugging on his uncles hand. _

"_Gaara? Is everything alright?" An older man asked, tucking his sandy blonde hair behind his ear. Something he did when nervous. _

"_I don't like this place. Can we please leave?" Gaara asked, looking around the large, dark warehouse. Yashamaru's eyes hardened and he started at the floor in front of them. _

"_I told you," his voice was not comforting, "we're waiting for a friend of mine, okay?" Gaara shrunk in on himself. Something was different about his usually warm uncle. But the redhead forced himself to relax, trusting his relative wholly. _

"_Are you sure he wanted to meet here?" The impatient six year old questioned. _

"_Yes Gaara! Now shut up!" Yashamaru growled. Gaara bowed his head and pulled his hand away, whimpering. _

"_Y-Yashamaru?" The tiny child asked, voice shaky and eyes watering. This wasn't right. Yashamaru was sweating and wouldn't stop curling his hair behind his ears. "What's wrong?" _

"_Where is he damn it?" The blonde growled lowly. _

"_Here." A gravelly voice said from the darkness. Gaara flinched at the harsh sound. The redhead felt tears run down his face and he backed away. _

"_Finally! Do you have the money?" The blonde asked eagerly. _

"_M-money?" Gaara said in a small voice. _

"_I really don't see why I should be paying you for taking this brat off of your hands." The voice answered. A small bag flew from the shadows and landed at Yashamaru's feet. The blonde man immediately bent down and picked it up, checking it's contents. _

"_Good. Now Gaara. I'm selling you to this man. We need money and your father decided this was the best way to go." The man said, glaring at his tiny nephew. _

"_Wh-what?" _

"_Ch. Idiot." The man said, brushing past Gaara._

"_W-wait! Yashamaru! Where are you going?" The redhead latched onto the mans leg. _

"_I told you. I'm selling you. You now belong to that man." Yashamaru said, pointing to the shadows. _

"_B-but! It-it's only because this is what dad is making you do, r-right?" The boy asked, voice weak. Yashamaru grinned cruelly. _

"_No. I wanted this, you murderer." The blonde ground out, turning to walk out. Gaara fell to his knees. "Oh, and, Gaara?" The redhead's ears perked up, but he didn't dare look at his uncle. "This wasn't the only option." He said, leaving with a smirk. _

_A few minutes after the man's exit, thundering footsteps were heard, but the defeated redhead couldn't find it within himself to care. A just sat there, pathetically weeping. _

"_Makes you angry, doesn't it?" The stranger asked. Gaara said nothing. "Do you feel betrayed?" The man pressed. Gaara didn't respond for a few moments then nodded slowly. "Betrayal breeds hate, hate breeds a need for destruction… Do you have the urge to hurt him?" _

_Gaara looked at his wet, pudgy hands. Did he feel the need? Did he want revenge on Yashamaru? _

"_Yes." It was a quiet whisper, barely audible. But the man caught it with his unnatural hearing. He grinned maliciously, handing the boy a blade. _

"_Do it. Kill him." _

_Gaara's teal eyes widened. Could he? Would he? Was death necessary? The redhead titled his head to the left, mulling it over. Was there really anything to stop him either? Not really. He'd been forsaken by all he trusted. Everything was different now. So why not become a killer? There was nothing to stop him. Nothing to tell him no. Only something to encourage it. _

_The tiny redheaded boy grinned cruelly and yanked the knife out of the mans hand, running after his 'loving' uncle. _

_Finally catching up, Gaara yelled out. Yashamaru turned around, eyes landing on the gleaming blade/ _

"_Gaara? Where did you get that?" He wasn't scared, not one bit. Gaara didn't scare him. Why should he? Sure, the redhead was a little freak and killed his sister, but there was no way he could actually lay a finger on Yashamaru. _

"_From me." The tall stranger Gaara had just been sold to said, sporting a toothy grin of his own, just like Gaara's. _

"_Why did you two follow me?" His voice faltered, a little less certain with that man here. _

"_Gaara." The man said, voice grating. Gaara swallowed thickly. Could he really do it? _

_Yashamaru looked over at his nephew and his eyes grew dark, mouth twisting in a disgusted scowl. The freak's eyes were longing. He clearly wanted this to all be a freak, but there was no way that could be true. Yashamaru really did hate the brat, there was no way to get around that. It was truth. Yashamaru had only been pretending to love Gaara. _

_Gaara's eyes grew curious. Why did Yashamaru pretend to love him then? What was the point of pretending? The redhead bit his bottom lip. _

"_Why?" He braved. _

"_Why? Because I hate you." Yashamaru spat, once again glaring at the child. "You killed my sister." He ground out. _

"_No!" Gaara yelled. "Why pretend to love me?" _

_Yashamaru eyes went to the floor for a moment and his posture dropped. But he was soon stranding properly and glaring once more. _

"_So it would hurt even more when you found out the truth." It was a lie. He was lying. In truth, he had actually tried to love Gaara. He tried to tell himself that Gaara was part of his sister. The last thing she left, and he should love him. Yet, he couldn't being himself too. When he looked at the small child, all he saw was a killer. A killer who held no remorse for his actions. _

_Gaara didn't know any of that. He didn't know it was a lie. He didn't understand that Yashamaru really had tried. And he didn't understand why the man's eyes were so tired looking. _

"_You're grief is too much." He said, insight far surpassing his age. The tiny child ran forward, knife poised. The tall man behind him grinned wildly. This child was beautiful. _

_His porcelain skin glowed in the moonlight, his fiery red hair contrasted beautifully with his deep teal eyes, and his blood stained hands looked absolutely delicious. _

_Yashamaru howled out as Gaara twisted the blade in his chest. _

"_You're sad." Gaara mumbled. _

"_You little brat! Killing her wasn't enough for you! You will never be loved!" He screamed, shoving Gaara off of him and yanking the blade out, gasping painfully as blood dripped down his chin. _

_Gaara flew up from his seated position on the couch and touched his scar gently. _

"_Love…" He whispered. "What is love like?"_

* * *

><p><em><em>Well... That took long enough, yeah? haha sorry guys! My phone got stolen and that had like, ALL the information for this story on it so I just didn't have the heart to continue for a bit. XD sorry

REVIEW! -Lunar


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